In fact the approach taken by both ATK - Cook's Illustrated and Alton Brown are similar in that they explain the 'whys' of technique, ingredients and equipment which for me at least makes it easier to translate them from one application to another. Both do occasionally go a little AR-overboard but they also identify wonderful shortcuts.

The ATK Family Cookbook is my overall favorite as it has a very broad range of dishes along with how-to illustrations.

The PBS TV shows from Cook's Illustrated ("America's Test Kitchen" and "Cook's Country") are very informative too. And if you DVR and skip the show sponsor mentions they are only around 20 - 25 minutes long. Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words after all.

CI also has magazines and just excellent subscription-based web sites, too.

I can't speak to how good the book is in practice (since my kitchen is almost, but not quite done) -- but I like the principle of it. As opposed to the other cookbooks, it focus on teaching improvisational cooking. It provides a very basic recipe and suggests variations on the recipe. Seems appropriate for an intermediate chef to me.

The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. This is my go-to cookbook for just about anything. It also has charts for meat cook times, some helpful substitutions, and other handy bits of information. It now comes in a ring binder so it'll lie flat and you can remove single pages to hang up while you're cooking. It doesn't have the science-y stuff that Alton's books has, but it has a lot of good basic recipes (like scrambled eggs!) and more advanced type stuff that I've never heard of before. I love this cookbook.

Wow, you guys and gals are awesome! Thank you so, so much. This is supposed to be a gift so hopefully she doesn't see this thread! Just to repeat: Does anyone have any recommendations on the foreign cuisine I mentioned? That was more of a shot in the dark, I'll admit. And even without it, this has been more than I could have hoped for. Seriously. Woot on, wooters.

Michael Ruhlman's Ratio is also very good and available in paperback. All the recipes are simple ratios of ingredients. Its very easy to follow and since every is a simple ratio, you don't need to reference it often.

Hmm how did I miss the part about this being a gift LOL I must not have had enough coffee for brain to connect-Sorry about that-LOL

Years ago before all the fuss about Jeff Smith-AKA The Frugal Gormet on PBS I bought a few of his cookbooks out of the goodwill. He went to the different countries and studied how they made food and adapted a lot of it for his show. His cookbooks are informative and funny(He and Alton Brown would get along cause they must talk the entire time they make food)

Since life has turned to being ECO friendly take a visit to your local Goodwill and puruse the cook books there,I have found good Amish, Italian, Greek and some other interesting cookbooks-This may sound "gross" but find a well used, well cooked on book-stained and messed up-those are normally the good ones(that is how you can tell which one my mom uses LOL)-write down the title and try to find a good clean one on ebay(take hand sanitzer with you to bathe in after I have been through the Goodwill)

Wasn't there a deals.woot cookbook that was being compiled? As a slight but related threadjack... If we get it pulled together, it might be nice. I had a decent feijoada recipe (which I've lost, subsequently, but can probably figure out how to recreate) -- it's Brazilian (which is South American, but not, obviously, Argentinian) -- and goes well with a nice Caipirinha.

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Not a farewell, just a forced redirect.

It's true, Local.Woot is no longer, but please don't despair.

Never-ending savings are still to be found on Deals.Woot each and every day, so come on in. Don't think of it as a time for tears. Think of it as a way to bring us all closer together under one roof.

Sorry

This is only for people who have bought woots

We restrict voting to users who have purchased something from one of the other Woot stores. It's not just because we want your money (which we do) - it's the best way to be sure all the votes are coming from real people and not spam-bots or phony accounts. The best way we can think of, anyway. For now.

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Geez, why so negative?

You have to vote up more before you can vote down.

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Too late, we all heard you!

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